The following background information may present examples of specific aspects of the prior art (e.g., without limitation, approaches, facts, or common wisdom) that, while expected to be helpful to further educate the reader as to additional aspects of the prior art, is not to be construed as limiting the present invention, or any embodiments thereof, to anything stated or implied therein or inferred thereupon.
It is well known that 3D printing is a process of making a three-dimensional solid object of virtually any shape from a digital model. 3D printing is achieved using an additive process, where successive layers of material are laid down in different shapes.
A parallel manipulator is a mechanical system that uses several computer-controlled serial chains to support a single platform, or end-effector. A parallel robot is a type of robot that consists of three arms connected to universal joints at the base. The key design feature is the use of parallelograms in the arms, which maintains the orientation of the end effector. The use of parallelograms restricts the movement of the end platform to pure translation, often with no rotation.
The parallel robot's base is mounted above the workspace and all the actuators are located on it. From the base, three middle jointed arms extend. The ends of these arms are connected to a small triangular platform. Actuation of the input links will move the triangular platform along an X, Y, or Z direction.
Often, the parallel robot engages the object with an end effector supported by multiple linkages that serve as arms. The linkages are independent and work in parallel. Rails may be used to carry the linkages for operation. The linkages extend from the end effector to an actuator, which serves as the foundation for the linkages.
Even though the above parallel robots address some of the needs of the market, a bracketing system for providing structural integrity and increasing the functionality of a parallel robots is still needed.